That the Cabinet recommend to Council:

(i)         That the responses received to the second phase consultation on the Community Governance Review of Torbay be noted as set out in Appendix 1 to the submitted report.

(ii)        That the Cabinet recommendations of the community governance review be that there shall be no change to existing community governance arrangements in Torbay and specifically:

(a)          That no new parishes be constituted in the area under review;

(b)          That no existing parishes in the area under review be abolished and that the name and area of Brixham parish and the electoral arrangements of Brixham Town Council remain unaltered.

(c)       That unless the community strongly calls for the establishment of further town councils, there shall be no further community governance reviews during this term of office.

(iii)       That the Director of Corporate Services publish the final recommendations and take steps to secure that persons who may be interested in the review are informed of them; and

(iv)       That the Council be recommended to give effect to the final recommendations set out at (ii) above.

The Local Government in Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 requires that a Community Governance Review must conclude within a period of twelve months after the start of the review.  At the end of a Community Governance Review the principal council must make recommendations as to:

(a)       whether a new parish or any new parishes should be constituted;

(b)       whether existing parishes should or should not be abolished or whether the area of existing parishes should be altered; and

(c)       what the electoral arrangements for new or existing parishes, which are to have parish councils, should be.

The Partnership were keen to listen to the views of the community to inform their decision-making which is why the Cabinet are proposing not to pursue the creation of new parish/town councils for Torquay and/or Paignton or any other change to the existing community governance arrangements within Torbay, in light of the wishes of the significant majority of respondents to the consultation on the draft recommendations of the review, who did not support any of the proposals for change.

Alternative options were set out in the submitted report but were not discussed at the meeting.

The Cabinet recommendations will be considered at the Council meeting on 9 January 2020.

On 14 January 2019 the Council launched a community governance review of the whole area of Torbay, to consider if any changes should be made to existing arrangements including whether new parish/town councils should be created in areas of the authority that are currently unparished.

Following a first phase of consultation, Council on 22 July 2019 agreed draft recommendations, to be the subject of further consultation with local electors, residents, organisations and interested parties.  Consultation on the draft recommendations opened on 2 September 2019 and closed on 25 October 2019.  Appendix one to the submitted report set out the outcome of the consultation subsequently the submitted report proposed in accordance with the majority of responses received that the proposals in the draft recommendations are not pursued.

None.